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and says, "For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; but live according to God in the spirit." And that some, at least, of those that were dead, arose with him in his resurrection, we have the authority of St. Matthew, who says, "And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints, that slept, arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and were seen of many." (Matt. xxvii. 52, 53.) We perfectly accord with the Moravian church, i. e. the German Baptists, and believe that "the souls of the Just are employed in preaching the gospel to those who have had no revelation in this life;" and we believe, that thousands are saved by this method.(See page 42.) The literal translation of the term Hades, is a place of darkness, silence and dread, and about which the most prying eye, and the most listening ear, can acquire no information. (Campbell.) It is also rendered "the Grave," "the Prison," "the Pit," &c. "The heart of the earth." (Matt. xii. 40.)

ART. VIII. Of Christ's Resurrection and Ascension. We believe with the Royal Psalmist, that the soul of the Son of God was not left in hell, neither was the body of the Holy One suffered to see corruption. The Son of God had power to lay down his life, and to take it up again. He had laid down his life, had given his flesh for the life of the world, and having paid the ransom price. for the world, he arose from the dead; wherefore, all that the Father hath, he hath given to the Son; the Heathen are now his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth are his possession. He had humbled himself unto death, even the death of the Cross, but again bursting the bonds of death, by which he could not be holden, and being now full and complete, in the fulness of God, as also the fulness of man, the human family at large, the purchase of his blood, thus full, complete and perfect, he again ascended into heaven, where he has been exalted to the right hand (the symbol of Power) of the Majesty on High, where, as the Mediator between God and Man,

he ever liveth and reigneth, to make intercession for all

men.

We believe that the heaven must contain him, "until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." (Acts iii. 19, 21.) And that he shall come again to judge the quick and the dead.

ART. IX. Of Sacraments.-We acknowledge only two Sacraments as the ordinances of Christ: that is to say, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.

1. OF BAPTISM.

We believe Water Baptism,* or the Baptism of John, to be a sign or seal of faith, or of repentance, and is of Divine authority, and ought to be administered to all who desire to be made members of the church of Christ. With regard to the form of administering this Sacrament,† while we consider immersion as the most significant, proper and impressive, particularly in adult subjects, we allow liberty of conscience to all; wherefore, such persons as insist upon receiving this Sacrament in the mode of sprinkling or pouring, as is the custom of some churches, ought not to be denied.

We believe that Infant Baptism, or the Baptism of such as are under years, to be, if not actually commanded, very strongly implied, in the Holy Scriptures. The covenants of God with his people in the Mosaic Dispensation included children as well as adults, and we can see

*"Water is the metaphor most frequently used to represent the Spirit; and the act of sending or giving the Spirit, is represented by pouring out, shedding forth, sprinkling, washing, or baptizing. And the descent of the Spirit is compared to the descent of rain and dew." And doubtless, it was from these metaphors the various forms of administering the ordinance of Baptism originated. Each form is considered as a sign or symbol of the Spirit; the "outward and visible sign," whereas the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, or Christ's Baptism is "an inward, invisible sign" of our being regenerated and born of the spirit. We desire to retain the simple Apostolic form as recorded, Acts viii. 37. Faith in the Son of God was all the Apostles required as qualifying the candidate for this rite. Genesis xvii. 7, 14, Deut. xxix. Gal. iii. 17.

no reason why they should be excluded in the Christian Dispensation, from entering into the covenant mercies of the Redeemer. The church has the most indisputable authorities for proving it to have been the practice of the Apostles, and that it was universal, without any exception from the Apostolic age to the twelfth century.* We, therefore, advocate and practice Infant Baptism, inasmuch as it is an evidence of their initiation into the church as an act and offering of faith on the part of their parents or guardians, in obedience to their Lord's command"Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." "And he took

them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." "Lo! children are an heritage of the Lord." (Psalms cxxvii. 3.)

Let it be remembered here that the Saviour's Baptism was with the Holy Ghost and with fire. "I indeed," says St. John, "Baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am unworthy to bear; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." And this latter Baptism we consider essential to salvation; while the former is but a necessary and preparatory ordinance.

2. OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.

We consider this ordinance of our Lord to be a Sacrament of faith and of love. 1. Of faith, in believing in, and of honouring him as the very and true Son of God, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, a predetermined sacrifice in the immense Mind, in which, by his concurrence with the Father's will, he laid aside the "form of God," and took upon him the "form of man," in which form he was then about to offer himself a sinless sacrifice for the redemption of the world; that our Lord instituted this ordinance as commemorative of his sufferings and death, that in its solemn participation his followers might thenceforward, by this testimony, show

* See the writings of Origen, Dr Wall, Dr. Gill, Reed's Apology, Abbot's Discourse, &c.

forth their Lord's death until his coming. 2. Of love, by approaching his table, with an humble, profound and grateful sense of the amazing condescension and love of God in Christ; of the unalterable and unaltered love of the Son of God, which induced him, to take upon himself the iniquities of us all; to be wounded for our offences, to be bruised for our transgressions, that we by his stripes should be healed. When considered in this sense, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is, unquestionably, a most solemn ordinance. And while we consider it to be the duty of every believer so to deport himself as to be fitly prepared for a joyful participation and commemoration of Christ's last injunction: "Do this as oft as ye do it in remembrance of me;" as a figure of the shedding of his blood and the offering up of his body for the remission of their sins, and not theirs only but also for the sins of the whole world. We, at the same time, consider it highly improper for any person, not properly qualified by true and sincere repentance, and an honest intention of Christian perseverance, to partake of this ordinance, and that without such qualification, they partake of it to their own condemnation, not having regard to, or discerning the Lord's body as represented by the Sacrament, which was to show forth to the world the obedience of his church, an entrance into which, was only to be effected by repentance, and faith in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, their head, the church being, figuratively, his body. Hence those who approach this table in impenitence, and partake of the divine symbols unworthily, are guilty of having profaned this holy ordinance of our Lord, in which his blood and body are to be spiritually discerned.

We object to the doctrines of Transubstantiation, or the change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ; and of Consubstantiation, which teaches, that with the bread and wine we partake of the real body and blood of Christ. Neither can we subscribe to the doctrine of the real presense, in any other sense, than that God is every where present; and that in the faithful participotion of this truly solemn and impressive ordinance, he pours

out, in many instances, of the abundance of his Holy Spirit, upon the truly humble, sincere and contrite believer, to the joyful overflowings of their grateful souls, and confirming them in their confidence and Christian faith in his promises that he is with them, "Lo! I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.” This blessing is also experienced, not alone in partaking of this ordinance, but also in all sincere approaches to the Giver of all good, whether in prayer, in thanksgiving or in praise.

ART. X. Of Justification and Righteousness.-We believe in the justification of man by faith; not in or by his own merits; "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God! not of works, lest any man should boast." Nor are we righteous in and of ourselves; but only by faith in him, who is "the Lord our Righteousness."

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ART. XI. Of Good Works.-Good works are the fruits of Faith, and are an evidence that God worketh in us, all things after the counsel of his own will, in enabling us to be co-workers with him; by which grace we not only let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father, who art in heaven; but is also an evidence, that we are striving "to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling."

As our faith, and our works, as also our salvation, are each of them, the effect of God's grace, exciting and enabling us, to be co-workers with him; we cannot discover any grounds on which to believe in "works of supererrogation, or voluntary works over and above God's command," and particularly as Christ said, "when ye have done all that is commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do." (Luke xvii. 10.)

ART. XII. Of Christian Perfection." We believe it to be the privilege, as it is also the duty of every believer, to grow daily in grace, and in the knowledge and love of God; that Christian Perfection is a work of the Spirit of God, that baptizing the spirit of man with fire; the eternal invisible fire of his Divine love, and burning

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